If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

Great Central Railway General Matters

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Reading General, Nov 11, 2017.

  1. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    1,587
    Likes Received:
    1,998
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Suffolk
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Does seem rather strange, as they have obviously only received it recently and both batches of funding were announced sometime previously. Haven't seen any other statements from other recipients as yet, so perhaps some "pressure" was applied after failing to get anything in the last 2 batches.
    Last lot of announcements for funding were last week and seemed to be all arts/museum based.
     
  2. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    1,587
    Likes Received:
    1,998
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Suffolk
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    As mentioned in the current edition of "Steam Railway" - Problems with "record keeping" apparently....
     
    jnc likes this.
  3. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    1,587
    Likes Received:
    1,998
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Suffolk
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    The announcement has now appeared on the GCR Website & FB page...

    Heritage Emergency Fund Announcement

    The Directors and Management of The Great Central Railway are delighted to announce that The National Lottery Heritage Fund have awarded £250,000 of support to the Railway from the Heritage Emergency Fund, which was set up to assist heritage organizations at risk due to the Covid-19 pandemic...

    Speaking about the news, GCR’s Managing Director, Michael Gough said “ This is a huge relief to all of our management, staff and volunteers and comes at a point when the Railway is going through an incredibly difficult and stressful time in navigating the impact of the Covid crisis. Despite the fact that significant hard work has gone into operational recovery with many services now running again, much of what we are able to do to generate essential income is severely hampered by restrictions, reductions in capacity and significantly increased costs and we are so grateful that The National Lottery Heritage Fund has agreed to help us with our recovery at this crucial time.

    Anne Jenkins, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefiting our personal wellbeing. All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.

    “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as The Great Central Railway during this uncertain time.”
     
  4. black5

    black5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2006
    Messages:
    1,906
    Likes Received:
    2,445
    Occupation:
    Theatre
    Location:
    Merseyside>Bury
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
  5. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,687
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    from GCR website....
    National "lockdown" from 5th November to 2nd December 2020
    Following the Prime Minister's announcement of a new national lockdown beginning on 5th November, our First Hurrah event is postponed.Customers who have booked online for this event will be contacted by e-mail before the close of business on Monday 2nd November with options regarding their booking.Thank you for your support during these difficult times and we look forward to welcoming you back to the railway soon as the situation improves.
     
  6. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,687
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I'm looking forward to seeing trains running again in December. All the Santa trains seem to be fully booked, but there are some Winter Wonderlight spaces left on the later trains (7.35pm).
     
  7. Raimondo

    Raimondo New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2005
    Messages:
    130
    Likes Received:
    106
    Would love it if they can run, but I fear Charnwood will be in Tier 3 due to the numbers still being high, and therefore the GCR will sadly have to remain closed. Let's just hope.
     
  8. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,687
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Just to provide some brighter news I have been looking at the steam locomotive general situation on the GCR and this is my unofficial survey result. November update in Italic

    From published information, but will, no doubt, be delayed due to C19 work stoppage. Obviously the Covid situation has had a far longer and deeper effect and so all the locomotive work – particularly outside contracts, have been severely delayed.

    70013 Oliver Cromwell will be overhauled by the End of 2020. Boiler has not yet gone to Tyseley but firebox new stays installed so completion mid/late 2021

    78019 BR Class 2 should have its refurbished boiler and be finished Mid/End 2020. Boiler still awaited. Completion now 2021.

    63601 04 should be dismantled, overhauled and back in service Mid 2021. Boiler lifted, chassis overhaul started, completion likely 2022

    7027 Thornbury Castle major work to start after the 04 but it is a big project so 2024/5. Major work started Could now be completed by 2023/24

    45491 Black 5 major work done, finish 2021 probably. Boiler tube instalation virtually completed

    48624 8F Awaiting overhaul….to be decided. Still to be decided

    Jinty 47406 out of ticket in 2020. Now in Mountsorrel Museum

    Black 5 45305 out of ticket in 2020.

    Ivatt 46521 out of ticket in 2021

    9F 92214 out of ticket in 2023

    Hall 6990 out of ticket in 2025

    BR2 78018 out of ticket in 2026

    Std 5 73156 out of ticket in 2028

    8F 48305 out of ticket in 2029

    Sir Lamiel 777 (NRM) to be overhauled at GCR

    It is anticipated that 34039 Boscastle could be ready 2022…..
     
    ykin01, and60007, Johnme101 and 3 others like this.
  9. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,687
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    And some more good news from the GCR website....
    Update 30th November 2020: Santa Express trains to continue as planned -



    Following the announcement that our local area of Charnwood will be under Tier 3 restrictions from 2nd December until at least 16th December, we have been working with Charnwood Borough Council to confirm the situation with regard to our Santa and Winter Wonderlights trains.

    We have been advised that today that our Santa trains can proceed as planned from Saturday 5th December.

    We are awaiting final details from the local authority on any modifications that we may need to make to the services in order to comply with the new rules, and will publish details of any required changes as soon as possible.

    We are delighted that services can continue, and very much look forward to welcoming you to the railway
     
  10. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,687
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I see that the GCR is to be the focus of the next "Walking Britain's Lost Railways" with Rob Bell on C5 8 pm Friday 18th Dec. The previous episodes have been good with lots of local history included.
     
  11. Davo

    Davo Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2018
    Messages:
    1,523
    Likes Received:
    634
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    W yorkshire 56f
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    When he tries to walk the bit of the ex G.C.R. from where Nottingham vic was to staveley he will have a job tracing the old trackbed now called the 3 pits way seen as though alot of its cuttings was filled in with spoil heaps from the pits along its alingment and houses been built on some of the alingment north of Notts and in Chesterfield where the bypass was built on Chesterfield central station and part of the Chesterfield loop.
     
  12. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,687
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Good news that the Santa trains are running well filled, the Winter Wonderlights have some extra days .....and there will be trains running from Loughborough. This from "GCR Rail Mail"

    Winter Wonderlights - TWO NEW DATES ADDED - 27th and 28th December - We're delighted to confirm that our popular Winter Wonderlights experience is returning this year. See the Great Central Railway like you’ve never seen it before.

    Christmas/ New Year running
    The good news is that the Railway will now be running a public service between Loughborough Central and Leicester North on the following days:

    Sunday, 27 and Monday, 28 December; Saturday, 2 January and Sunday, 3 January.

    An excellent opportunity to escape the front room at home maybe but still find a Covid-safe environment in our traditional compartment/side corridor carriages. A key feature of our safety measures is for every visitor to pre book their compartment, online via the GCR website, which gives full details of timings and fares.
     
  13. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,687
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Sadly the latest "Lock-down" put paid to the New Years running and all non - essential volunteer tasks have been cancelled with volunteers being asked not to come and sign on.
    However in the latest Steam Railway magazine Mr Gough is quite positive about the prospect of double track Rothley to Leicester North and that "proposals for a major new rolling stock museum are "still live" and that......... we believe there is a way of delivering it in the near future".
     
  14. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2016
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    316
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Stafford
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Double track to Leicester North is welcome news to me. But once again Mr Gough puts the boot in as he says regarding the Gap the GCR will "concentrate firstly on connecting with the Midland Main Line and, when timings and priorities are correct, unite with genuine partners and complete unification together."

    I wasn't so naive as to believe that as soon as the Gap was complete we'd be able to travel the full 18 miles, I privately considered it more likely we'd have a situation of Loughborough being a joint station (like Porthmadog Harbour). But now it feels to me like the Gap project has been mis-sold and the prospect of an inter-city preserved mainline railway kicked further down the road to who knows when.

    Much as I want to contribute to doubling Rothley to Leicester, this leaves a somewhat sour taste and- well, what's the saying? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." So I'll sit out the kind offer to donate thank you very much Mr Gough.
     
    mgl, MellishR, 35B and 1 other person like this.
  15. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,687
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    But the donations are ring fenced by Charity rules so the double track/Museum is a separate project. I am happy to contribute to both as I am sure that, once the Gap is bridged, there will be 18 mile running. So many people have shared the dream and can see it getting closer. Yes there will be more problems and unease for various reasons......but they will get sorted.
    Meanwhile what will we put in the rolling stock museum?
     
  16. Platform 3

    Platform 3 Member

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2015
    Messages:
    823
    Likes Received:
    1,090
    Gender:
    Male
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    The lawyer in me wonders what exactly is meant by the word 'genuine' in the quote?

    Sent from my SM-G770F using Tapatalk
     
    35B and jnc like this.
  17. ruddingtonrsh56

    ruddingtonrsh56 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2009
    Messages:
    975
    Likes Received:
    1,467
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Nottinghamshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    The Sceptic in me reckons it's something along the lines of 'people who will let me have my way'.

    I'll admit, I know very little about Mr Gough and apart from this the only other thing I'm aware of him saying/doing is asking the GCRN to change their name because it's too similar for his liking while they're under ORR review. But neither of those things are likely to endear him to a GCRN volunteer...
     
    jnc, The Dainton Banker and Steve like this.
  18. talyllyn1

    talyllyn1 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2008
    Messages:
    261
    Likes Received:
    400
    I had the "pleasure" of working in a management capacity at Cromwell Tools for several years. Mr Gough was generally regarded as Mr Gregory's fixer and "yes-man".
     
  19. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,687
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Well I suppose it is true that Yes there are refurbished carriages on the GCR,
    Yes there are 8 working "in ticket" steam locomotives
    Yes there are about 5 locomotives being actively worked on
    Yes the carriage shed at Swithland has more than doubled in size
    Yes they have been operating trains in 2020
    Yes the cafes have been refurbished
    Yes the C&W shed at Rothley has been much improved
    Yes the Station at Loughborough has had extensive repair work done
    .....and Yes they are part way through "Bridging the Gap" ....a multimillion pound infrastructure project.

    I think most people would think that was quite positive.
     
    jonh, TseTT, Johnme101 and 10 others like this.
  20. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2016
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    316
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Stafford
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    It's not about money being ring-fenced or charity rules, it's more fundamental than that. The literature put out for fundraising states that the aim is an 18-mile reserved railway and it is on that basis that I and doubtless many others have dug deep and donated hard-earned money. Now we have reason to believe that somebody is trying to change the objective to something that (for me at least) is a relative irrelevance, or at best a bonus. Well, completion of the project is still years away so who knows what will happen between now and then but if this keeps on in the short term, my donations will stop.

    Let me put it this way. If you go to a car showroom and order a car, would you be happy if when it turns up you find that half of the features on the showroom model aren't on the identical vehicle you ordered? And, would you be inclined to give that marque more of your money in future?
     

Share This Page